Skandaguru Kavacham

This great armour is written by Sri Santhanatha Swamigal, who was a great saint devotee of Lord Skanda. He established many temples including Om Sri Skandasramam near Salem, Chennai om Sri Skandasramam in Chennai.

Prayer to Ganesa
Oh God of Kali age, who is elder brother of Skanda,
Who rides on a mouse, who is the basis of all,
I would be telling the armour of Skanda Guru,
Due to the grace of your feet, for curing ills of Kali,
And so Oh Lord Sidhi Vinaayaka, give me victory, I worship you.

Salutations to the teacher of the cave,
Salutations to the greatest teacher,
Oh teacher of the Skanda mountain,
Give me knowledge to know,
That and become immersed in that,
Oh teacher of the skanda giri,
Please come, please come.

Oh God please come as a teacher in the form of a saint,
Oh greatest teacher who possessed me in the form of pure love,
Please grant me Dharma., wealth, pleasure and salvation,
Oh Lord Skanda who is a teacher please give,
Salutations to Shanumuga, Salutations to the teacher Skanda.

Protect me, protect me, Oh Lord Skanda who is a teacher,
I would sing about you, sing about you, Teacher of the world,
I Praise, I praise, Skanda, I praise,
I praise, I praise, Muruga, I praise,
I Praise six faced one, I praise Lord Muruga

Oh, father God, please live within my mind,
Please tell me what you told in Swami malai,
Oh Lord who is teacher of Shiva, tell me that Pranavam,
And give me counsel so that my inner eye opens,
Oh God, who won everywhere and sat at Thiru chendur.

O God with six faces, to see you as a flame of mercy,
Oh Kumara within me, come completely filled with love,
Please me with a state of no death at all,
Oh God with a Vel, you bless me also with knowledge,
Please bring your Vel to drive away the God of death.

Oh God of Thiruannamalai whose head and feet could not be found,
Oh son of the mountain of dawn, who blessed Arunagiri,
Oh God of the cave of Thiruparan giri, completely wipe away my fate,
Oh Muruga with the Vel of Thiruthani, make me bold,
Oh Young God of Ettu Kudi, remove the chants and ghosts sent by others.

Please drive away the plots of my enemies by your Vel,
Oh Kanda who is every where, Oh Muruga with eight eyes,
You who know my mind well, enter me as the inner light,
So that I get all the things that I want,
Oh great Muruga of Thiruporur, salutations to your holy feet.

Come as the light of knowledge and open my inner eye,
Oh six faced god of Thiruchendur, who taught the teacher of the world,
Oh teacher of the world, son of Shiva, remove dirt of my mind,
Oh holder of Vel of Chengottu, give me the grace of Lord Shiva,
Oh Singara vela of Chikkal, make my soul as lord Shiva.

Oh Kanda, remove my poverty and remove the fear of death,
Please come and occupy my stable mind as wisdom,
Oh Kumara of the six houses, please come riding on the peacock,
You ordered that surrendering to you is my only work,
Oh Kanda, I surrendered, surrendered to your feet and became happy.

Oh holy great flame, grant me with love,
You said that the spreading love is Para Brahma,
For The thing which is everywhere is only love,
And Love is the only thing that is like a soul within us,
Love is Kumara, Love is Skanda.

You told that love is the holy chant called “Om”,
And For making love is a stable power in my mind,
And stopping me and showing me your grace,
Please come as love Oh Skanda, Oh Kumara,
You are pleasant to all, you are humbler than all.

You are greater than all, You belong to every one,
I would make a temple for you within my mind,
Oh son of Shiva and Shakthi, salutations and salutations to you,
Make me yours, after avoiding all dangers to me,
In Shadow, sin, water, fire, soil and sky.

Please remove enmity from my mind and take care of me,
Please become one with my senses and make me clean,
Please grant me that true knowledge where I and mine are not there,
Oh Muruga, Oh Kanda, who is the seed for salvation,
Oh Lord Shanmuga who is praised by the four Vedas.

Oh son of Parvathi worshipped by Agama shastras,
You please armed with your Vel to protect this poor man,
Oh Muruga come instantly as mother and as father,
Please come as Shakthi and as Shiva quickly,
Oh child, Oh Skanda Kumara who is the holy God.

Oh root of all,come with form and without form,
Come as wisdom to protect me,
Oh Muruga come as the light of my mind,
Oh God of gods, son of Shiva come, come, come
Please come armed with our Vel with great speed.

You have become what all I see,
You are the God that I can see with my eyes,
Oh God who have found the truth by becoming a flame of Veda,
Make me understand that this illusory world is but an illusion,
Oh Kanda, I seek your protection, your protection,
I am also saying that, I need your protection,
And desiring peace, I said, Oh Muruga come, come,

Please make me sit firmly in the yogic path,
Please give me the power of wisdom, praised by Sidhas,
Please make me boil in the honey of the happiness of Shiva,
Please show me in my mind the scenes and sounds of your grace,
And also please grant that knowledge by which I can know knowledge.

Oh Primeval teacher who blesses me, hear,
Please bless me, Oh Skanda, who is the lord of teachers,
Oh Skanda, Who is the lord of teachers,
Make me forget all philosophy and also forget myself,
Make me forget that good and bad are within me only,
And make me forget sin, good deeds and salvation.

You place me without allowing move in your ring of grace,
Oh Kanda, Oh Kumara, Oh six faced one, protect me as your slave,
And after granting the great Sidhi which is Jnana Sidhi,
Come fast and give me the holy joy of Shiva,
And after giving me that joy of shiva, make a Sidha of Shiva.

It is your duty to make me like Shiva,
Oh Lord teacher who is Shiva,
Oh Lord teacher who is Lord Shiva,
Oh Skanda who is the Lord teacher,
I will loudly shout for your help, please hear,
I have caught your feet, please give me boon,
Please make me yours after giving me the,
Strength which is filled by divine grace.

Oh Shanmuga, remove all my enemies and those hate me,
Oh doer of mercy, protect me on the eastern side,
Oh friend of the oppressed, protect me from south eastern side,
In the southern side, please protect by your divine grace,
In the western side, please protect me using your Vel.

Oh nephew of Vishnu, protect me on the western side,
Oh he who rides the peacock, protect me on the north east,
For protecting me on the north, please come as the holy teacher,
For protecting me in the north east, come riding on a peacock,
Please come flying and hover in all ten directions to protect me.

Let my head and hair be protected by son of Lord Shiva,
Let your grace protect my eyes and eye brows,
Let the greatest among males protect the space between eye brows,
Let The Kanda Vel protect both my eyes,
Let the good Vel protect my two nostrils.

Let Skanda reside sweetly and forever in m heart,
Let my entire belly be protected by the son of Goddess Uma,
Stomach, secret parts, penis and colon,
Waist, knees and both my feet,
Feet, fingers of feet and all the living parts,

And Hair roots may be protected by the son of Uma,
Let my skin, blood, fat deposits, flesh and bone marrow,
May be protected by the six faced lord,
May be protected by the chief of devas,
Please remove my pride and live with in me as light of wisdom,
Oh Muruga, please come with Vel to protect me.

Destroy all the sins, so that all the world becomes better,
Add daily “Om Soum Saravana Bhava, Sreem hreem, Kleem”,
As well as “Kloum soum Namah”,and concentrate,
From “Om “ to “Namaha” and meditate on it,

Absorb my form with single mindedness,
If with full mind if you understand this root chant of Muruga,
The three dirts of the mind would go away,
And the salvation would be within your hands,
There is ne need to go anywhere seeking salvation,
And oh man, the place where Murugan is indeed the place of salvation.

Please fill up your mind immediately with Muruga,
At this instant fill your fill your mind with the root chant,
For those with the root chant there is no fear of death,
For winning over the God of death, catch hold of Skanda,
If you do according to what the teacher Subrahmanya says,,
He would stay within you as the cold light and also a big flame
I have told you this root to win over illusions of this world,
Chant this root and you would become evolved soul,
If this is chanted hundred thousand times with love,
You would get all that you wish and the fear of death will run away fast.

The grace of Murugan worshipped by the three words would stand out,
And you would be the matchless God worshipped in this earth,
This should be chanted one crore times to see the end,
And Oh mind try to desire the reaching of the end,
And chant this one crore times to attain salvation.

Due to your power the secrets of Vedantha would be known,
You can swiftly understand the meaning of Vedantha,
He would appear in our mind as the Lord teacher Subrahmanya.
As he is the great flame of grace of the six faced God,
And he would catch hold of you sitting and living inside you.

That teacher Skanda would give occult powers and salvation,
And desiring only for you, I meditate on you,
Oh Kanda come inside me as the true knowledge,
Please come and change yourself as rational knowledge,
And please make me capable of seeing the rational Vadi Vela.

The Kanda who is rational is in Thiruparam kundram,
In Pazhani you became the very ancient flame,
Oh God who taught Om to the God Brahma,
Please give me boon of no birth and make me full of Brahmam,
In Thiuchendur you held the powerful Shakthi vel.

In Pazham udhir Cholai you became the divine flame,
You who became the teacher to Lord Shiva in Swami Malai,
Sat in each and every hill as the great teacher.
You made Kanda giri as your own,
Oh Lord teacher Skanda, who is the flame of Skanda Asram.

You would protect birth and death separately,
You would give the great boon of absence of birth,
You would make me forget the dirty heap of unnecessary principles,
You would destroy all other thoughts and save me,
I surrender to you Skanda, I surrender to you Skanda,

Oh Sarvana Bhava, Oh Saravana Bhava,
I have surrendered to you, come quickly,
I am alive only because of your grace,
Oh Kanda who is the soul of my soul,
Pleases dissolve me within your self,
And give me the boon to enable,
Me see myself within you.

Come quickly and grant me the power of Shiva,
I do not know anything about Ida and Pingala nadis,
I do not know how to control my senses,
I do not know any methods to control the mind,
But I have caught hold of your holy feet firmly,

I have held it tightly and swiftly, please teach me,
Please remove the dirt caused by passion,
Please give me purity of mind and meditation,
Please make all my thought to be pervaded with you,
Oh holy Muruga, make me think about you firmly,

Grant me your grace, let the grace increase,
Please make me stand firm in your grace,
Please make me stand in the perennial bliss,
For your form is the perennial bliss,
Make me drown for a moment in the happiness of Advaitha,

By the true grace, please remain in your grace, Oh Muruga,
Oh God whom I can see, Oh God who blesses in Kali yuga,
I have understood your power, Oh teacher with six faces,
You come at this instant, Oh God who is the teacher Skanda,
Please bless me so that you protect me,

Oh God wise god holding a stick, Make me a scholar having Jnana,
Destroy all pride in me, and feed me with love,
Make me full of love and then make me yours,
Please make love stand in my mind with stability.
Please make love as my eyes and protect me,

Please allow me to strongly catch hold,
Of love which is your grace and which in within and without,
You told that limitless love is godliness,
You told that love is everywhere not only here and not only there,
Love is Shiva, Love is Shakthi.

Love is silence, love is salvation,
Love is Brahmam and you told love is everything,
The place without love is neither here not there, you told,
The love that is filled everywhere is my teacher,
And he is the sacred teacher steeped in love.

He became the Teacher Skanda in Skandashramam,
The holy trinity, devas and sages made him,
The Skanda jyothi in Skandashramam,
And that Skanda Guru sat there as the light of the soul,
And our Guru was born there to remove darkness.

Please show me your limitless godly land,
Give me salvation which the trinity will praise,
I believed in you, believed in you, Oh Skanda Kumara,
I realized that there is nothing except you in this world,
And because f your grace, I understood it well.

I wont leave you, Oh Kanda, please grant me salvation,
I would meditate in the middle of my forehead,
Please teach me the Mantra of Brahma,
And show me the light through the holy wheels,
And Oh teacher pleas make me a great savant of Shiva.

Please cut of my desires and show me the feet of Lord Shiva,
Please make me a saint and make me sit in the world of salvation,
Oh Skanda Kumara who had Temples in the Kongu Nadu (Coimbatore district)
Oh, God who became the teacher Kumara on Kolli malai.
Oh teacher Skanda who is praised by Kanja malai Chithar.

Oh Gangeya, Oh Skanda Kumara who is praised by the saint of Karuvoor,
Oh great teacher whom the Sidha of Maruda malai served with joy,
Oh Kumara of Chennimalai who blessed sidhars,
The Shiva Vakya chitha praised you on Shiva mountain,
And Bhogar installed you in Pazhani, so that the world lives because of you.

Oh Kumara Guru who is surrounded by Pulippani Chithars,
Oh Skanda Guru who blossomed in Kongu Nadu,
Please grant me a clean heart without lies and deceit,
Please put me in the company of learned people,
The land in which Kanda guru is there is throughout the world.

I found out and found out Skanda Giri,
Oh Muruga praised by the four people lead by Arunagiri
And the eighteen sidhars, and the devotees, please hear,
You occupied all the hills of Kongu desam,
And also the Salem town known for good character.

In Skanda giri over the stream of virgins,
In the Skandasramam you are the Skanda Guru,
And exist as flame praised by the devas,
Who became the prime moot of everything,
Please remove my tiresomeness, Please remove my laziness,
Of Flame of Subramanya who is the son of Lord Shiva.

Please increase manifolds the eternal joy,
And make me forget myself in that great joy,
Oh nephew of Lord Vishnu, Oh consort of Valli, Oh teacher Skanda,
I realized that your temple is in Skanda giri,
Oh pretty Lord of Pazhani who is a shining globe of flame.

Of Lord teacher Skanda who is the fruit of Shiva wisdom,
Because you are a fruit did you go and stay in Pazhani,
And in Thiruvavin kudi you became Thiru murugan,
Oh lad Muruga, Oh teacher Guha, Oh holder of Vel,
You gave Thamiz Nadu to Agasthya and you ruled over it.

Please embrace me along with a stick in your beggar role,
Oh flame of the weapon of stick, who is praised by all gods,
Who became the Skanda giri flame on Skanda giri,
Please bless me with a side long glance, Oh teacher Skanda full of mercy,
Please protect this poor man, I will chant your name,

I wont believe any other thing at any time,
Oh God whom I see, Oh God who blesses us in Kali age,
Just telling your name of Skanda would cure diseases quickly,
Oh Son of Parvathi, I praise your holy feet,
I believe in your holy feet, with your holy feet as witness.

Oh on of the mother of the world. Oh holy lord, please hear,
The only penance I ever do is repeating your name,
I would goo on telling it till there is a scar in my toungue,
I would go on breathing saying Muruga, Muruga,
I would see you as the single muruga, inside and outside me.

I find Murugan not here nor there but everywhere,
Without Murugan none of the three worlds can exist,
Oh Oh Muruga, Your grace itself is surely Muruga,
All the grace is Muruga, all the love is Muruga,
He became movable and immovable all his grace took the holy form.

The Guru Skanda is Muruga as well as the first one,
Catching hold of the feet of the skanda of Skandashramam,
And surrendering to him would lead them to salvation,
I am telling the truth and there is no doubt about it,
You are the Vadivelan who is praised by the Vedas.

Without any doubt believe in the truth,
That Lord guru Skanda is the true God,
To see the truth you believe in the truth,
Truth is not some thing else, Guru is skanda is not different from it,
Guru Skanda is the truth and Truth is Guru Skanda,

When truth has been told, believe it as truth,
In truth in Jnana become the eternal joy,
For Murugan would become the eternal Brahmam,
The Vedas and Vedas tell only about this,
And so make this armour of Guru Skanda as your own.

Read it understanding its meaning and sins and bad name would vanish,
The disease of birth would go away and the eternal joy would come,
In this world and afterwards the gods would praise you,
The trinity would stand in front of you, and all people would worship you,
And so daily read the armour with mind full of love.

With attention and devotion do it with concentration,
Worries would go away, the grace of Skanda would increase,
The disease of death and birth would go away,
Realize that armour of Skanda is the only armour,
If you read this armour, you can win over Kali age.

The armour would drive away the ogre called Kali,
You would attain happiness, if you obey what is said,
They who read this Kanda Guru armour with concentration of thought,
The eight types of wealth would come and endless joy would be theirs,
He would grow like a banyan tree and send roots like a grass.

Like Banana growing under banana his family would grow,
He would get sixteen good things and live for several years,
Peace, joy and all that is good would increase,
If this Skanda guru armour is read with attention,
Pride, passion, anger and ills of Kali age would go away.

The sins done earlier would go away and the grace of Muruga would be got,
Dharma, wealth, joy and salvation would be attained easily,
Following purity, obeying the rules and with discipline,
And with a pure mind if Skanda Guru armour,
Is read with attention and devotion and thinking of the son of Lord Shiva.

If you read it with devotion, you can see Kanda,
If this Kanda Guru armour is read with purity for forty days,
Without bothering whether it is day or night and with single mindedness,
The holy Muruga as Skanda Guru would come with Vel
And stand in all directions, protect you, so please do not worry.

You believe in the holy feet of Jnana kanda,
Thinking that reading Kanda Guru kavacham is an austerity
And start reading it with belief in it, then to you,
Pleasure of this and other world will come,
There would not be sorrow any time ever,
Sorrows will run away and troubles will vanish.

Joys will increase, desired occult powers will be yours,
The sins you were born with will be removed,
And you would be given the power to meditate on Brahmam,
And you would be protected for ever by this armour of Kanda Guru,
Leave out all your worries and from wherever you are,
Read with concentration, this armour of Skanda Guru, If you do,

Gods, demi gods, sages and devotees,
Would praise you and would definitely obey your wishes,
This armour of Skanda Guru would drive away the devil of suspicion,
Would remove ignorance, would show you the divine grace,
And the Jnana Skanda Guru would stand in front of you.

He would be within you and become your inner light,
He will show himself in you and you in himself,
He would show himself everywhere and show you everywhere,
The Kanda who is the Skanda flame would from Skanda giri,
Carry his weapon of stick and would appear before you.

Please do come to Skanda Giri to sing the praise of Kanda,
After coming see Kanda giri and be saved, oh people of the world,
Then read this Armour of Kanda giri which removes ills of Kali,
And become very famous in this world,
The armour of Kanda giri will cut off all desires and grant salvation.

If you read this armour once the dirt from your mind will vanish,
If it is read two times, we will get all that we wish,
If it is read three times, Skanda Guru would stand in front of you,
Read it four times daily and get all good boons,
Read it five times daily and get the blessings of Lord Shiva.

Read it six times and get consolation,
Read it seven times and everything will obey you,
Read it eight times you would get internal peace,
Read it nine times, fear of death will vanish,
And reading ten takes would make you live unattached.

After taking bath in the stream of virgins and applying sacred ash,
After reading Kanda Guru armour and climb the kanda mountain,
Would make Kanda remove all sins committed before that time,
All noterity will vanish, you would be able to do meditation,
Take the water of the stream of virgins in your hand,

Make it holy by chanting the chant of the name “Kanda”,
Sprinkle on your head and swallow a little,
And this would remove the dirt of your mind and your mind would become clean,
In the stream of virgins, pray the Virgin goddesses,
Salute them and climb the Kanda mountain.,